BBC Studioworks welcomes back in-person audiences from today.
Following the government’s easing of lockdown restrictions, the commercial subsidiary of the Beeb – which offers studios and facilities to programme makers – is reimplementing its successful approach to socially distanced studio audiences that it first put into place in August 2020.
The following productions will be recorded over the coming days with live audiences present:
• The Goes Wrong Show, a Big Talk/Mischief Screen in association with Lionsgate production for the BBC
• The Jonathan Ross Show, a Hotsauce TV/ITV Studios production for ITV
• Piers Morgan Life Stories, an ITV Studios production for ITV
• The Martin Lewis Money Show, a Multistory Media production for ITV
Audiences at all shows will be subject to stringent safety measures and protocols, BBC Studioworks note, including mandatory temperature checks prior to entry.
Face masks must be worn, while there will be a staggered approach to entering and exiting the studio.
Audience members must remain seated in their assigned bubbles and seats not occupied will be clearly marked as such. There will also be hand sanitising facilities available.
In addition, anyone going to see a show will be required to complete a Covid declaration by the ticketing or production company.
“We’re delighted to enable the safe return of audiences for our clients,” said Jon Noakes, Commercial Director, BBC Studioworks.
“For the type of light entertainment productions we facilitate, there’s nothing quite like a live audience and the fullness of audience participation to add atmosphere.
“While we’ve achieved some really clever remote audience solutions in partnership with our clients during lockdown, such as the virtual audience for Saturday Night Takeaway for ITV, there’s no substitute for in-house audience reactions.”
BBC Studioworks has many more audience-based productions lined up for the months ahead as well as welcoming the following new shows:
• Yesterday, a Rumpus Media production for Comedy Central
• TV Showdown, a Livewire Pictures production for ITV
• Question Team, a Keshet TV production for Dave
• Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night Line Up, a Silver Star production for ITV
• Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, a Rumps Media production for Channel 4
